Proud scholarship recipients
ARTS
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Tony Kusher speaks
John Grant
The
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Vol. 44 • No. 21 • May 22-28, 2014
Teen who wore tux welcomed at NCLR gala by Danielle Parenteau
tion, but the loudest cheers of the night were reserved for Urbina, essica Urbina, the high school who was given two. senior whose graduation pho“I’ve experienced some things to was reportedly not includin the past four years that had me ed in Sacred Heart Preparatory [thinking] ... I don’t want to be Academy’s yearbook because she here, but I found solace in theater wore a tuxedo, was given a rous– that’s where I met Katie,” she said. ing ovation by hundreds of people Urbina also said that the picture of when she and her girlfriend were her wearing a tux “is who I am.” the surprise guests at the National Brinton and Kendall received Center for Lesbian Rights’ San NCLR’s Courage Award. Both surFrancisco gala last weekend. vived reparative therapy, also known Students at the San Francisas conversion therapy, whose aim is co Catholic high school rallied to change people’s sexual orientation around Urbina last week when from homosexual to heterosexual. news of the omission spread. By Such therapies are widely discredlast Friday, hundreds of her fellow Steven Underhill ited in the medical and scientific students wore ties to school in a NCLR Executive Director Kate Kendell, left, turns the stage communities, saying that they are show of support. The high school over to Sacred Heart Preparatory Academy senior Jessica potentially harmful. California has also released a statement saying Urbina and her girlfriend, Katie Emanuel, at the organization’s enacted a state law prohibiting the that the campus-wide dialogue gala dinner May 17. practice on minors by state-licensed sparked by the school’s action “will mental health providers. result in a revision of policy.” “I didn’t fail at changing. I sucfriend, Katie Emanuel, and NCLR Executive This week, school officials said ceeded at being myself,” said BrinDirector Kate Kendell. Urbina’s photo would be included. It was not ton. “You can’t change what we never chose.” “I love tuxedos!” said Urbina. immediately clear if the yearbooks would Tamika Butler, a co-chair of NCLR’s board The evening’s award recipients included be reprinted or if the school would affix the of directors, presented the Courage Award. actress Meredith Baxter, who came out as photo in another way. “When NCLR was founded 37 years ago, lesbian in 2009, and reparative therapy surviA beaming Urbina was joined on stage in conversion therapy was one of the socially vors Sam Brinton and Ryan Kendall. a ballroom at the Marriot Marquis Hotel in acceptable ways our society inflicted violence Each honoree was given a standing ovadowntown San Francisco May 17 by her girlSee page 10 >>
J Jane Philomen Cleland
Dr. Dawn Harbatkin, left, and Marj Plumb
LyonMartin explores merger by Seth Hemmelgarn
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yon-Martin Health Services, a nonprofit that provides primary medical care to women and transgender people regardless of their ability to pay, and HealthRight 360, which offers substance abuse counseling and other programs, are exploring a merger. See page 3 >>
B.A.R. election endorsements CALIFORNIA PRIMARY
Governor: Jerry Brown Lt. Governor: Gavin Newsom Attorney General: Kamala Harris Secretary of State: Alex Padilla Treasurer: John Chiang Controller: Betty Yee Insurance Commissioner: Dave Jones Superintendent of Public Instruction: Tom Torlakson Board of Equalization (District 2): Fiona Ma State Assembly (San Francisco) Dist. 17: David Chiu Dist. 19: Phil Ting State Assembly (Bay Area) Dist. 15: Elizabeth Echols Dist. 18: Rob Bonta Dist. 24: Rich Gordon Dist. 28: Evan Low Congress (Bay Area) Dist. 2: Jared Huffman Dist. 3: John Garamendi Dist. 5: Mike Thompson Dist. 10: Michael Eggman
Dist. 11: Mark DeSaulnier Dist. 12: Nancy Pelosi Dist. 13: Barbara Lee Dist. 14: Jackie Speier Dist. 15: Eric Swalwell Dist. 17: Mike Honda Dist. 18: Anna Eshoo Dist. 19: Zoe Lofgren
LGBT grads excel in diverse fields by Khaled Sayed
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Judges SF Superior Court Office 20: Daniel Flores Other races Alameda County Bd. of Ed. Area 1: Joaquin Rivera SAN FRANCISCO PROPS Prop A YES Prop B NO CALIFORNIA PROPOSITIONS Prop 41: YES Prop 42: YES
Remember to vote on June 3!
mong the hundreds of college graduates that will collect their diplomas this weekend at San Francisco State University are four out LGBT students. Some have overcome challenges while others are planning to complete advanced degrees. Among the graduates is Catherine Feely, a military veteran who is graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in kinesiology. Raised by a single mother, Feely was born in New York, and attended high school in Mississippi. After high school she joined the Coast Guard in the days when “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” was still in effect, meaning that she could not be open about who she was. “In regards to ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ policy, you had to be careful that you didn’t disclose anything about yourself,” Feely said. “By the time I moved to San Francisco people, especially here, kind of knew, even though you weren’t allowed to talk about your sexual identity.” She added, “I had to hide a lot about myself.” Feely left the military in 2010. “I decided to leave the Coast Guard while I was on the younger side to continue my education. I was 30,” she said Feely enrolled in City College of San Fran-
Khaled Sayed
Military veteran Catherine Feely is one of several LGBTs who will graduate from San Francisco State University this weekend.
cisco and then transferred to San Francisco State to pursue her degree in kinesiology. “One of the biggest reasons I chose to get out of the military to go to school was because I felt like I had two different lives,” Feely said. “I really See page 6 >>
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